Massaging apparatuses configured to apply stimulation to a body of a user, such as kneading, tapping, finger pressure, and rolling, are widely known. There are a variety of massaging apparatuses, such as chair-types and mattress-types, among which the chair-type massaging apparatus has been highly demanded and widely used because it is capable of massaging the user in a relaxed posture and its installation area is smaller than that of the mattress-type.
Most of the conventional chair-type massaging apparatuses are typically configured to apply pressing stimulation to a back and a shoulder of the user. In order to enable the user to efficiently obtain effects such as facilitation of blood circulation, recovery from fatigue, or relaxation, it is important to massage physical parts such as the legs and arms of the user. In recent years, chair-type massaging apparatuses capable of massaging arms and legs have been developed.
One type of chair-type massaging apparatus comprises a chair body (massage chair) and a leg rest (lower leg massager) provided with two concave receiver portions on which fight and left lower legs of the user are supported (see Japanese Patent No. 3012127). This chair-type massaging apparatus is constructed such that air bags are provided on opposite side surfaces of each concave receiver portion, and the air bags expand and contract to allow a calf of a leg of the user to be massaged with the calf sandwiched from right and left sides.
The chair-type massaging apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3012127 is constructed such that the chair body is separated from the leg rest, while in Japanese Patent No. 3012780, the leg rest is attached to the chair body. In the latter construction, the leg rest is attached to a front side of a seat portion of the chair body. The user is seated in the chair body and thereby the lower legs of the user are placed on the leg rest. In the chair-type massaging apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3012780, as in the chair-type massaging apparatus disclosed in Japanese patent No. 3012127, the leg rest is provided with concave receiver portions and right and left lower legs are placed on the concave portions to be massaged (see Japanese Patent Publication No. 3012780).
Some mattress-type massaging apparatuses are capable of massaging lower legs of the user. One type of such mattress-type massaging apparatus provides double air bags on both sides of each of right and left calves of the legs of the user lying on his or her back (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. Hei. 10-57436 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. Hei. 10-118143). This mattress-type massaging apparatus is capable of massaging the right and left calves of the user by expansion and contraction of the air bags with the calves sandwiched and retained from right and left sides; this mattress-type massaging apparatus is also capable of increasing the force to sandwich and retain the calves by expanding the dual air bags simultaneously.
However, in the chair-type massaging apparatuses disclosed in Japanese Patent Nos. 3012127 and 3012780, when the user puts his or her calves into the concave receiver portions, the posture of the user is restricted and obstructed by side walls of the concave receiver portions. This makes it difficult for the user to assume a desired posture.
In the chair-type massaging apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3012780, the lower legs can remain outside the concave receiver portions with the user seated therein. In this case, the leg rest may become an obstruction, making it difficult for the user to assume a desired posture.
It is known that there exist a plurality of acupuncture points called “sanri” and “horyu” in an outer region of a shin of a lower leg of a body, i.e., in a front outer region of the lower leg, and function to provide adjustment of various internal organs as well as to provide effects such as facilitation of blood circulation, recovery from fatigue, or relaxation by applying stimulation to these regions. But, the chair-type massaging apparatuses disclosed in above Japanese Patent Publications Nos. 3012127 and 3012780 are incapable of massaging the outer region of the shin.
The inventions disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication Nos. Hei. 10-57436 and 10-118143 are applicable to the leg rest of the chair-type massaging apparatus. Since the front surface of the leg rest is substantially flat when each air bag is contracted, the user easily assumes a desired posture. However, the chair-type massaging apparatus of such a construction is incapable of massaging the outer region of the shin.
Since the invention disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. Hei. 10-57436 is not a chair-type massaging apparatus but a mattress-type massaging apparatus, the user must lie on a mattress, and the lower leg is incapable of being massaged with the user seated in the chair.
In the inventions disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication Nos. Hei. 10-57436 and 10-118143, since the mattress portion is substantially flat with the air bag contracted, there is no protruding portion that restricts or obstructs the posture of the user in such a contracted state. However, since a protrusible and retractable system of the massaging apparatus is constructed such that the air bag, substantially flat in a retracted state, protrusively expands from the lower side of the lower leg, setting a pressing angle or a pressing position with respect to the lower leg in a limited range, and therefore, a massage pattern is very limited. In addition, since the air bags or cloth covers which cover these air bags protrude and are flexible, the precision of the pressing position or the pressing angle is not high.
Some massaging apparatuses are configured to massage the body of the user in such a manner that a massaging system such as massaging elements protrudes and retracts with respect to the body of the user to apply pressure to the body.
A cover that covers a massaging system provided with the protrusible and retractable system is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. Hei. 8-112330. The cover covers a side surface of a massaging system causing a pressing drive plate having a pressing element to protrude and retract by expansion and contraction of air cells (air bags). One sheet (continuous sheet without seams or joints) is bent in a bellows-like manner, and an elastic material such as rubber is stitched inside. The bellows-like sheet expands with extension of the elastic material during expansion of the air cell and is folded by contraction of the elastic material during contraction of the air cell (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. Hei. 8-112330).
The cover disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. 8-112330 is configured not to cover a body side of the massaging system but to cover a side surface of the massaging system so as not to interfere with the body side. On the other hand, the cover disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open patent Application Publication No. Hei-10-295753 is configured to cover the body side of the massaging system and is made of an elastic material such as an elastic cloth or rubber sheet. Such an elastic material enables the cover to expand and contract according to protrusion and retraction of the massaging system with respect to the body of the user (see Japanese Laid-Open patent Application Publication No. 10-295753).
In the massaging apparatus disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. Hei. 8-112330, a foldable portion of the cover which is folded during contraction of the air cell (retraction of the massaging system) is not located on the side of a support surface on which a body of the user who is being massaged is supported, but at a position of the side surface which is away from the support surface side. Therefore, this cover does not cover the support surface on which the body of the user is supported. This cover is not configured for protrusion and retraction operation of a massaging apparatus that protrudes and retracts within the support surface on which the body of the user is supported.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. Hei. 10-295753 discloses a cover made of an elastic material as a cover which is capable of covering the body side of the massaging system having the protrusible and retractable system and is configured for protrusion and retraction operation. However, the elastic material decreases elasticity after repeated expansion and compression during use. As a result, the cover becomes deformed, and its external appearance degrades.